Prego! to open its first franchise shop in Montigny-le-Tilleul

Belgian Italian delicatessen chain Prego! will open its first franchise shop in Montigny-le-Tilleul on 6 November 2026. Geoffrey Piccicuto will become the brand’s first franchisee. The opening will bring its Belgian network to nineteen outlets and introduce a new business model three years after the chain launched.

From first outlet to first franchise

The announced opening marks a significant step for Prego!: the chain is not simply expanding its shop network, but doing so with a franchisee for the first time. RetailDetail reported on 4 November that the opening was scheduled for two days later in the Charleroi area.

The distinction between these two milestones matters. Montigny-le-Tilleul will be Prego!’s nineteenth Belgian outlet, but not its nineteenth franchise. This shop marks the start of the brand’s relationship with franchise operators. The size of the overall network should therefore not be confused with the experience the brand has already gained in franchising.

This makes the opening noteworthy for Belgium’s franchise sector. An established delicatessen concept is bringing in its first franchisee after three years in business. It adds a new chapter to the chain’s growth story, beyond the increase in outlet numbers.

Geoffrey Piccicuto brings experience from Cora

The first franchisee is Geoffrey Piccicuto. At hypermarket operator Cora, he was responsible for the Italian grocery range, so he brings relevant experience with Italian food products to his new role.

RetailDetail highlights his many years of experience in food retail, his passion for Italian cuisine and his Sicilian roots as qualities that fit the delicatessen concept. His previous responsibilities at Cora provide the professional background for this move.

The transition connects two different retail settings: an Italian grocery range within a hypermarket and a specialist Italian delicatessen. That background is relevant to the profile of this first franchisee, but is not in itself evidence of future shop performance. The opening has yet to take place.

For prospective franchisees, however, his profile offers a useful point to consider. When assessing a franchise concept, an affinity with the product is not the only factor that matters. It is also worth examining how previous work experience relates to the day-to-day responsibilities of running the new business. In Piccicuto’s case, Italian food already features in his career.

A location close to Charleroi’s ring road

The shop in Montigny-le-Tilleul is on a busy connecting road, close to Charleroi’s ring road. It also has a spacious car park. These are the specific location features mentioned in the announcement.

Accessibility and parking are useful considerations when assessing retail premises. They do not, however, automatically indicate how many customers a business will attract or what turnover it might achieve. The location of this first franchise shop should therefore be considered separately from expectations about its commercial performance.

For entrepreneurs exploring a similar location, the practical question is how well the premises suit the intended shopping visit. Consider access to the car park, visibility from the road and the route customers will need to take. These are questions for assessment, not announced features or results of the new Prego! shop.

A first step worth watching closely

The main significance of this opening lies in the combination of an existing Belgian network and a first franchise partnership. Prego! will reach nineteen outlets, while Geoffrey Piccicuto will become its first franchisee. This makes Montigny-le-Tilleul a relevant new development for anyone following Belgium’s franchise sector.

A first franchise shop is not, however, the same as an announced large-scale recruitment programme. This opening alone establishes neither a specific number of future franchise shops, nor an expansion timetable, nor the financial terms for joining the network. Interested entrepreneurs should therefore avoid assuming that this operator’s move establishes general terms for other applicants.

Practical takeaway: anyone considering a partnership with a brand new to franchising should assess the shop network’s experience separately from its approach to franchising. Ask specific questions about support, the division of responsibilities and financial terms, then assess whether your own experience and proposed location are a good fit.